Apple Mountain Golf Course Review

Apple mountain
Freeland, MI
Grade: B+
Teacher’s Notes: So much water. So much sand. Nice and well maintained.

Built around a now decommissioned ski hill, Apple Mountain Golf Course is a residential and park-style golf course with an abundance of water and bunkers.

Apple Mountain was built in 1998 to a design by John Sanford. A little research for this review revealed that Sanford did much of his design work in Florida; that made me smile a little, because one of my notes for Apple Mountain is that it kind of felt like it belonged in Florida.

That’s not an insult; just an observation that the trail was almost completely flat (except for the two ski hill holes), lined by houses and had an abundance of lurking lagoons.

Luckily no alligators.

Large areas of bunkers (waste areas? I treated them as bunkers) are as frequent as the ponds.

Some run dozens of meters along the side. On other holes they are scattered like craters on the moon. The par three seventh is all sand between tee and green.

Indeed, each hole has a lake or a desert to confuse the wayward shot. Often it is both.

As a first-time player, I was occasionally surprised when I rolled in water or sand. The acts of discovery really increased my score.

The homes on Apple Mountain are, for the most part, sidelined. However, I’m still not crazy about residential courses. While I understand there may be an economic need for them, they detract from my enjoyment of the course.

However, I think you have to miss a lot to hit one.

Only two of the holes on the course have any elevation, and both play from the small ski hill: the fifth and sixth. As a ski hill, there really isn’t much to say about it. however, it does make for two interesting tee shots.

My favorite hole was the par four eighth. The tee shot is threatened on the right by a pond that runs across most of the hole. From 500 feet the hole becomes a peninsula, while the pond on the right wraps behind and along the left side.

Complicating the situation is that the elevated green is bordered by seven bunkers on all sides except the front.

The best angle to the open front of the green is from the right side, but then the pond comes into play. Swinging the ball to the left is safer, but does not provide a friendly approach.

The seventeenth takes place around the same pond complex and is also a peninsula. However, it does not have the same bunkering.

I don’t think Apple Mountain is overly difficult, but it will certainly reward repeat play.

Apple Mountain is a par 72 with a summit of 6,962 meters.

Two of the holes at Apple Mountain have cute apple-themed designs. Both play from the ski hill.

The downhill par three-fifth has an apple-shaped green, with two rear bunkers acting as leaves.

The other is the par four sixth, which has an apple-shaped bunker. There is also a piece of grass in the apple, which is supposed to be a worm. Unfortunately the shape is not as easy to see as on the fifth.

The conditions on the day I played were quite good. I played on what had to be the hottest day of the summer, during the hottest week. For once, I was glad that the trail didn’t allow hikers (although it is definitely walkable). The heat had not wilted the track at all.

Greens, fairways and tee boxes were all in good condition. The edges of the course and fairways (which were not people’s backyards) were neat. So were the bunkers

Kudos to the grounds staff.

The only negative I have for this course is the living environment. If you don’t mind playing along rows of houses, this could be an ‘A’ for you.

The Apple Mountain Golf Course Review was first published on November 22, 2025 from notes and photos taken during a round played in the summer of 2025.

Read all of GolfBlogger’s golf course reviews in Michigan.

A photo tour of Apple Mountain follows:

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